Invincible
by Equals.Love
Summary: Some would say Dragon Slayers are invincible.
1. Astral

First Fairy Tail fic with more to come! Read and review ^-^

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><p>"You sure you want to do this?"<p>

_Of course I'm sure._

"There isn't any going back."

_I know._

"Silence, even now, huh? Well, you won't be silent for long. Klaus! Start 'er up!"

Lucy closes her eyes and exhales as the twinkling sound of magic begins to stir above her. The twinkling turns into a static, crackling noise, and there's a whirring sound mixed in. Lucy breathes deep and clenches her fists. "This is going to hurt, kid. Probably a lot more than you imagined."

She knows. She knows it's going to hurt. If these two blithering idiots would stop talking about it and just do it already, it wouldn't shake her nerves at all. But they won't shut up. Why won't they shut up?!

"I don't feel right," Klaus Bayer, the lacrima expert, suddenly becomes nervous. "Sting recommended us? Why would he even tell her?" He talks as though Lucy isn't even present. This irks her, so much that she jams her fist down on the table and snarls, "_get on with it!_"

Dieter Engel, the other lacrima expert and salesman nods at Klaus. "We don't use moral judgement, remember?"

"I know... alright," Klaus, whose rediscovered his courage, winds up his magic once more. "On the count of three, I want you to expel as much magic power as you can. The lacrima absorbs better when the body is depleted of all other magic. Because you already have a substantial amount of magic power, this will take longer than usual."

What he really means is, this is completely stupid, because Lucy isn't even attuned to any other magic besides celestial. Her eyes flicker over to her keys that lie on the table across the way, and she shuts them once more. "Alright, just say when," she confirms.

She knows that this is probably not the best decision for her body. It might leave her with scars, it may change her appearance. But she no longer cares. She can't take anymore of the lung constricting night mares that have her breaking into sweats and helpless sobbing. It's been seven months and twenty three days since that day that ruined her, and she no longer could sit still. _Dragon slayers are invincible, huh?_ She was going to prove that. She was going to prove to everyone that dragon slayers were unstoppable, no matter the generation.

Deiter watches the dark lacrima glow and begin to spin at a blinding speed. He shifts uncomfortably from one foot to the other as Klaus begins to count down. He knows this girl isn't prepared for the painful transition. A full fledged wizard whose been trained specifically in one area to completely change their tune on a whim... lacrima's don't accept those fusions kindly. This girl showed up on his doorstep with two bundles of cold, hard cash and a serious demand. In normal sales, he wouldn't refuse it for the world, until he began to piece together why she was doing this. Now he was shaken on his moral standards.

"Three," Klaus mutters, and Deiter feels the air shift in the room as Lucy expels all the magic power she can muster. Just as she does it, Klaus begins to push the lacrima into her core. "Deiter, hold her down!" Klaus calls, and Deiter hops away from the wall and rushes to fix Lucy's restraints. He didn't think they would need them, since they rarely ever do, but he won't deny Klaus' judgement. It's normally right.

Especially this time.

Not even moments after Klaus has initiated the lacrima implantation, Lucy's struggle to bite back her pain comes to no avail, and the screams begin. Earsplitting, glass shattering screams are catapulted from her throat and into the air, bouncing off the walls and ringing through Klaus' and Deiter's ears. "Shit... I figured as much. Her body hates this thing," Klaus sucks in a sharp breath, his hands over the lacrima beginning to tremble.

"Will she make it?" Deiter calls, his eyes noticing Lucy's veins popping and her glassy eyes rolling to the back of her head. "She'll definitely make it. How useful this lacrima will be, I can't say for sure," Klaus submerges more than half of the lacrima into her core.

"I really wish she didn't have so much magic power," he sighs, and forcefully shoves the last of the lacrima through her. The light beneath his hands fade, and so do Lucy's blood curdling screams.

It's done. The irreversible deed is done.

"Oh, she fainted," Deiter half smiles, and glances at Klaus. "Let's leave her be until she wakes up."

* * *

><p>"<em>Happy! Pull yourself together, we've got to get out of here!" Lucy cries as she shakes the Exceed back to consciousness. "Lucy... what happened?"<em>

"_We got attacked, Happy. I need you! We need you now! Please wake up!" Happy sense the urgency in Lucy's voice and rolls his eyes open, bringing himself to a steady conscious state. "Aye, where's Natsu?"_

"_I don't know, Happy, help me find him," Lucy nods. Her voice is filled with panic, maybe a bit of hysteria. "Lucy! This way!" They both turn to see Gray waving. The two go sprinting towards the ice mage and stop as they reach the edge of the cliffside. "Natsu is down here. He's out cold. Happy, can you get him?"_

_Horrified that his best friend isn't standing up with a smile on his face, Happy races down the cliffside to swoop Natsu off of a rock and bring him back up. As he goes to bring Natsu across the cliff side again, a thunderous roar shakes the land, causing the water to slosh against the cliff side and set the edge loose from it's moorings. Lucy lets out a panicked scream, but Happy catches her. "Gray!" Happy cries, watching the ice mage plummet towards the sharp and rocky bottom._

"_Gray-sama! I've got you!" Happy and Lucy are reassured with hope as the water mage catches him. Lucy didn't realize until now that one of Gray's arms is completely out of commission. She half wondered why he didn't just freeze over the part of the falling cliffside. That would have been easy, if his left arm was still good. He's got the entire thing encased in ice, and is completely exhausted, from the way he can barely stand up even with Juvia's help._

_The water mage is not much better off herself._

"_Juvia, where is everyone else?" Lucy asks, and Juvia looks up at them. "They've already begun their retreat! We're just down this way!" She points to a hidden location. "Go! We'll follow you!" Lucy nods, and Juvia takes off._

"_We're almost there, Happy!" Juvia calls out to the Exceed, and Happy can see what looks like Charle and Wendy in the distance. "Aye!"_

_Fear strikes everyone like a cold wind as they hear the all too familiar roar again. "No... we got far enough away!" Lucy gasps. She turns her head, and sure enough, the beautifully terrifying Dragon King is gaining on them, and fast. "Happy! Fly faster!" Lucy yells out of fear._

"_I can't!" Happy whimpers, although with every bone in his body he forces the last bits of magic power out of him. "Happy," the blue Exceed drops his head down to see Natsu awake and smiling at him. "Natsu!" He gasps, and Lucy loses her fear for just a moment to see the dragon slayer's grin. "Take care of Lucy for me, alright?"_

"_Huh?" Happy's eyes widen, all traces of his namesake gone. "Natsu, what are you saying?" Lucy asks. The Salamander grins, but it isn't a smile that eases their worry. They know what he's about to do. "No! Natsu no!" Lucy shrieks. Natsu presses his forehead to Lucy's in some attempt to calm her down. "Oi... Dragon slayers are invincible, remember?"_

_She doesn't stop the kiss, nor does she intend to. But the decoy of what she didn't stop led him to slip through her fingertips. With a mighty thrust, he heaves Happy and Lucy closer towards Juvia and further away from the dragon king._

"_Don't look back, Happy!" Natsu hollers._

"_No, Natsu! Natsu don't! NATSU! NATSU PLEASE!" Lucy's cries turn into screams. Somehow Happy has gotten faster, and her feeble attempts at latching onto Natsu are thwarted as he plummets towards the sea and closer to Aconologia. "DON'T LEAVE ME!" Lucy's cries don't reach him. Happy lets out a strangled, garbled cry as he hits max speed and drops both himself and Lucy into the hiding spot, out of Aconologia's reach._

* * *

><p>"Look whose awake," Deiter half smiles, undoes the restraints on the blonde, and hands her a glass of water and two pills. "That'll take the edge off, you won't feel as wobbly. It'll take about a couple of hours for the lacrima to completely settle in, and two days for you to really experience any sort of changes. By the end of the week you'll be totally new," he explains, and places a newly lit cigarette between his lips.<p>

Lucy sits for a moment, her usually numb feeling replaced with a sense of a new weight in her body, unfamiliar and unkind. She doesn't feel much different outside of this new weight that's pulsing in her body. Her throat burns a little less after the water, and her stomach slowly begins to uncoil and release the tension she'd pent up.

"What we can't tell you, is how it'll affect your celestial spirit magic. And we can't say for sure how strong that lacrima will make you. We've never done a fusion on such a strong wizard before," Klaus rakes his fingers through his hands, nervously switching between Lucy and her marked shoulder. Her hand carries the mark of the Fairy Tail guild, but her shoulder has a red dragon. That isn't any guild mark, just your standard tattoo.

"You're really doing all of this for one person?"

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><p>"<em>Nakama, nakama nakama! I'm so tired of being called that it's ridiculous!" Lucy throws her hands into the air angrily. The snow falls onto her skin, kissing her rosy cheeks and melting into her hair. As her body further dampens from the weather, she glares at the salamander with the look that says 'leave me alone' and 'don't leave' at the same time.<em>

"_Why is that so wrong? In Fairy Tail-"_

"_I know. In Fairy Tail, our nakama are the most important. Why are you so dense?! I'm not talking about Fairy Tail, Natsu, I'm talking about you!"_

"_Me?" Natsu moves closer with his brow raised. "You don't want me to call you that?" He looks hurt. Lucy sees pain cross his face, but her heart fears his rejection even more. "I don't care," she hisses, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. _

"_What do you want me to call you, Lucy?"_

"_Nothing! Forget it," she tries to take a step back, but he won't let her. "I don't understand your weird, girly moods," Natsu deadpans, and Lucy considers driving her knuckles into his kisser and running home. "Be straight with me, Luce. What do you want me to call you?"_

_His slanted eyes narrow at her. It only makes her cheeks turn a darker shade of red, the blush spreading across her face and down to her chest. "I...I don't know. I just want to matter to you..."_

"_You do matter to me, Lucy, are you crazy?"_

"_Not like that. Not... not the way Gray matters to Juvia," Lucy dips her head down. "Or...or the way Levy matters to Gajeel. I want you to notice me. I...I love you, Natsu."_

_There it is. She said it. Here comes the rejection. Here comes the confused expression, the release of her hands and the step back. The 'I didn't realize you felt that way' and the guilty 'I'm sorry but I just can't' and maybe even a 'I don't want something like this right now' even though it'll never happen. She should just turn and run._

"_That's...your big secret? That you love me?"_

_Lucy's glassy and tear brimmed eyes widen at the pink haired dragon slayer. "Baka! Girls have a hard time telling their feelings! Don't make light of it!" Lucy whines, but Natsu can't help shaking with laughter. "Gomen gomen, you had me worried. But I already knew that," Natsu rubs his nose sheepishly. Lucy's hands unclench and her jaw drops. "You knew...?"_

"_I was waiting for you to say it. You always talk about how you want to be in control of the situation, and you don't want to feel pressured into something. So I never told you. But now that you've said it..." Natsu smiles slowly, and it's so unusual and sexy that Lucy's knees turn to pudding. "I love you too, Luce."_

"_N-n-nani?!"_

"_You sure are slow, baka," he silences her with a kiss. "N-Natsu!" Lucy tries to protest, frantic about who might see them. "What, worried about the public?" He asks, and moments later, Lucy feels his scarf wrap around both of their heads. "Here, no one can see you now. Better?"_

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><p>"You two wouldn't understand," Lucy breathes, and pushes herself off the table. Much to their surprise, she's standing as if she hadn't just gone through an extremely painful experience. "Y-you shouldn't be walking so soon!"<p>

"I'll be fine," she replies, and a small smile hits her mouth as she looks between Deiter and Klaus.

"Thank you for your help. You can keep the change. I'll come back if I need anything."

"Well alright then..." Klaus lowers his head with a nod and keeps his eyes on the floor.

"Oi, Heartfilia," Deiter calls, and Lucy glances back at the salesman. He exhales the toxic cloud into the stale air of the lab before his eyes meet with hers. Something about the look he gives her makes her insides squirm uncomfortably, though she can't tell if it's him or the newly placed lacrima that's still dissolving. "You Fairies are all about nakama, right? Is that all this guy was?"

The way her smile doesn't reach her eyes, but it causes every line on her face to wrinkle in some expression of pain, he gets his answer. He doesn't say another word as she grabs her keys and heads out of the door way, back into the rain.

"People do stupid things for love, don't they, Deiter?" Klaus asks, going to grab his inventory book. Deiter shifts the cigarette to the side of his mouth and grabs a rag and a cleaning solution. "People do _really_ stupid things for love, Klaus."

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><p>"<em>Lucy, it's been two weeks, you should eat something more than a piece of bread," Mirajane murmurs, setting down a tray full of simple foods before the blonde. She's been in the infirmary since they returned, and has barely touched food. Lucy doesn't answer her plea, however.<em>

"_Lucy... please. Natsu wouldn't want-"_

_The look Lucy sends Mira is enough to silence every take over variation within her. "Mira, don't use his name."_

"_Right...sorry," she stands up and moves back towards the door. "I'll be at the bar counter, ring the bell if you need anything."_

_Just as Mira leaves, Gray comes in something tucked under his arm, and a blue Exceed on top of his head. "Luce, you've gotta eat. I'm not asking," he sighs, and places Happy down on her lap. The blue neko is silent as he curls into a ball and closes his eyes. Gray pulls out the something tucked under his arm, and its a box. "I figured you'd want to hold onto this."_

_Lucy pries the box open and sees that it's Natsu's old jacket. The one he wore for a while when he was going through the 'cool guys wear cloaks' phase. Lucy presses the fabric to her nose and inhales, her head filling with nothing but Natsu. The scent overwhelms her and reduces her to a puddle of tears once more._

"_Dragon slayers are invincible," Lucy whispers, and Gray looks down at Happy, who is silent but has already buried himself into the fabric as well. "Yeah, dragon slayers are invincible... so quit looking so damned defeated, would you? Natsu's fine," Gray says it, but even he isn't convinced of those words. "Natsu is...fine," he chokes, and drops his head onto Lucy's shoulder, tucking the girl closer so that the cloak and Happy are wedged between the two of them._

_Lucy knows how much Gray hates crying. And for him to be this easily shaken, means she isn't the only one suffering. "Un, he's fine," Lucy repeats, and folds her arms around the ice mage._

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><p>"What do you think she's after?"<p>

"It's gotta be revenge. She asked us for one of our rarest dragon lacrima," Deiter exhales another gray, swirling cloud, "the Astral Dragon lacrima was extremely hard to come by. Her profile says she doesn't make that much income regularly, so how she managed to afford this, I have no idea. I wonder what she intends to do, now that she's a second generation dragon slayer," Deiter shrugs, and goes to wipe down the operating table.

Klaus puffs through the side of his mouth as he goes to count Lucy's money and add it to his safe.

"Hopefully nothing big. And hopefully far away from here."

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><p>Okay, that's it! I cried pretty hard writing this, since I wrote it while listening to Fairy Tail's sad soundtracks (dear Kami that music is beautiful) and NaLu is like a soul crushing otp of mine (I have way too many otp's xD)<p>

I really want your guys' opinions! should I leave it like this or continue? Let me know! Thank you so much for stopping by! I'm gonna go write more stuff!


	2. Pink Is Not My Favorite

Okay, thanks to everyone who read and reviewed, I decided to continue! I'm sorry I took so long! I really didn't have a path for the story to follow so I had to develop one, and school has got me so busy I can't even keep track of anything. *cries* I hate college oh my gosh.

Anyway, here's chapter 2, I hope you guys enjoy it!

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><p>"<em>Why pink?"<em>

_Lucy blinks her attention towards a tipsy Cana, whose taken the blonde's hand into her own. She traces patterns around the pink guild mark on her hand with some interest, as though she'd asked the question instead of Lisanna._

"_Huh?" Lucy lifts her eyes to the youngest Strauss sibling. "We're all talking about why we chose our color of marks. Why did you choose pink?"_

_The celestial spirit mage tilts her head and ponders the thought._

_Well, she didn't really need to ponder. She'd decided on her guild mark color long before she walked through the doors to Fairy Tail. Her reason for choosing the color pink was twenty feet from her in a heated arm wrestling match against a half naked Gray._

_The winner had first dibs on the latest jobs._

"_Pink...is it your favorite color?" Lisanna questions when Lucy takes too long to answer. "Fooled me, I thought it was blue," Levy gestures to Lucy's outfit._

_The blonde looks down at her shirt, and shakes her head. "No, pink isn't my favorite, but the color stands for friendship... something I value. And love...something we all value, I think?"_

"_Lu-chan," Levy grins, "You're such a romantic."_

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><p>"Pay attention, Luce."<p>

His voice is calm, but his fists hurt. They hurt like hell. Maybe she shouldn't have signed on for training. No, she needs this.

"I said, _pay attention!_"

She couldn't feel half of her body. She couldn't see straight she was so tired, and her lungs felt like they had taken in so much smoke and dust and dirt, that breathing was near impossible. She forced her body to roll on it's side, and she reached down for her leg, crying out from the searing pain that shot through it. As she pulled back, her hands were stained with her blood.

_Shit...this is bad._

She coughs ruggedly, doubling over as she felt the cough ring through her body, and expel bile from her throat. Her eyes burned. This was hell.

"I said get up," she feels the cool touch of metal graze her temple. That was definitely a pipe she was lying on, but after what she'd been through, it felt like a bed. Why did she feel so drained? Oh, maybe that's the lack of sleep that she got. She barely had time to eat anything, with all of this harsh running. Either that, or she was too stressed to eat. Or maybe she was tuckered out from this fight?

Her eyes close, her head feeling heavy. She couldn't move. Or was it that she wouldn't move? She wanted to be home, safe, with her family. The only family she truly knew, now.

_What are they doing...? I wonder..._

The smiling faces of everyone, around her. She wanted to be back at Fairy Tail, gossiping with Mira at the bar or discussing some books with Levy. She still had an unfinished chess match against Gray. He was probably raging about the guild right now, knowing she'd just up and left. She could just see Juvia and the rest trying to calm him down, all the while worrying just the same.

How did they take it? She left them a note, and ran. Were they coming after her? She'd hoped not, only, right now it seemed like it'd be nice. To wake up in a hospital bed, seeing familiar faces.

"You wanted this. You came to me, don't forget that." Lucy felt a rough, dull pressure dig into her abdomen, and she felt the world spin, before the warm dirt brought her back down.

_He's right...I wanted this. I did. So why am I so weak? I don't have much time. I need this, I need control. _

"Sting, maybe you should—!"

Lucy lifts her head off the ground enough to see a barely scathed Sting hovering over her. He looks annoyed, granted she'd been spacing out throughout most of the fight. But he isn't lacking concern. Neither is Rogue, whose spectating against the wall beside Lector and Frosch. In fact, the two Exceeds look a little _too_ worried.

The level of concern in the room puts a smile on her face. She must be fucked up if this is the reaction she's getting. "We're done for the day, you can barely move," Sting sighs. He waits for a few moments to see if she'll move.

When she doesn't, he moves over to her and helps her lift her face out of the rubble. She's smiling, but she's completely unconscious. "Shit... I really overdid it," he mumbles to himself.

"I didn't know you were the type to beat up girls," Rogue murmurs, and the blonde sends him a glare. "Shut up! She asked for it!"

"In any case... she won't progress any further if she keeps this up," Rogue unhinges his cloak and wraps it about Lucy, his eyes avoiding any places where clothing _should_ have been. Sting scoops the girl off the ground and heads for the infirmary.

"Natsu-san was one of a kind... she can't even think to compare to his fighting style," a bad taste runs over his mouth at the mention of his idol.

"Sting-kun," Lector calls, watching the expression on his friend's face waver. "It's fine. I'll go put her down...she'll be rared to go by tomorrow anyway."

"You going to actually give her advice? Or just rough her up like this again," Rogue tilts his head towards the girl, and slightly wrinkles his nose. His distaste for seeing women, or _anyone_ in poor condition is clearly expressed. Sting pivots towards the door and shields her from his sight. "Quit looking at me like I abused her! And... I guess... I'll talk to her," he shifts uncomfortably before heading out the door.

* * *

><p>"<em>WHO'S NEXT?!" Natsu roars. Erza glances to the pile of guild members that he's gone through and dusted, and sighs heavily. At this point, most of them are too tired to get back up and make an attempt at bringing down the hot headed dragon slayer. She can't help but smile, though. He's really progressed over time.<em>

"_Sheesh, he's a monster," Gray mutters, and he won't dare admit that the level of Natsu's strength sent shivers down his spine. Lucy, although smiling, rolls her eyes. "How many times is he gonna do this?"_

"_That's Natsu for you. He just gets...stronger. Things like thinking, strategy, he almost doesn't need them." Lucy and Gray both share a similar look as Erza finally steps up to the challenge. Natsu lunges for Erza, winding his fist back to send her one of his infamous punches._

_He kisses three layers deep of dirt and his heels kick the back of his head. In one move, Titania has shut down the Salamander. _

"_Thinking...strategy," Lucy twitches, amazed at the scary defeat._

"_I said almost," Gray replies, clutching his sides to hold in his laughter._

* * *

><p>"I have to hand it to you, as such a young guild master, you really know your stuff. Especially in medicine," Lucy's eyes are wide with both astonishment and curiosity as Sting wraps her arm.<p>

"Was that supposed to be a compliment?" He curls his lips back in a sarcastic smile, "I'm not useless."

"I suppose you're going to say you can read and write and cook or something," Lucy taunts, and when the blonde stares at her, unimpressed by her jokes, she lowers her head with an apology. Sting did grow up the majority of his life without being coddled or taken care of. Of course he had to do half of these things on his own.

"Don't give me that look. I wasn't some street rat who starved," Lucy feels him flick her forehead, and she flinches. That hurt more than she thought it would. But it puts a smile on her face nonetheless. She's grown to like this guy over her few days of being here. While he's pretty ruthless despite his jovial demeanor, he isn't a bad person. However, when it comes to being gentle, she prefers Rogue. It isn't even competition. The shadow dragon doesn't irk her nerves as much as he makes her nervous.

"Sting," Lucy mumbles, her eyes moving over her hands. The majority of her fingers are taped up, but at least her guild mark is still visible. "No matter what I do... I'm not like him."

"Of course you're not. No one is," Sting snorts, as if she's just stated the obvious. He panics when he realizes he's only hurt her feelings. "No! I mean... ugh, look... you can't just mirror someone's fighting style like that. First, he was a fire dragon slayer."

Lucy's hands tighten on the blanket. "_...Is_, a dragon slayer," he corrects, "second, you don't have the ability to explode with power. Sorry to tell you, but you don't. You're way more calculated," Sting lifts from his chair to put the bandages and med kit back. "Third... you don't trust yourself."

He knows he's hit a nerve, because the girl freezes, and the air in the room becomes painfully still and quiet. "You're afraid that your own body will give out on you. You're one with that lacrima now, it's not going to suddenly vanish. The sooner you accept your newly acquired _gift_, the easier this will be."

"But I still dedicated so much of myself to my spirits," Lucy mentions her keys, and Sting glances at the pouch sitting on the bedside table. "No one said you had to abandon them. But you don't have to hold back for one or the other. Your problem, is you're used to _them_ fighting for you," he points to the keys, and a smile lights his lips.

Lucy hates it when he smiles like this. It just shows how ruthless he really is. "Lucky Lucy isn't used to brawling. Dragon slayers don't hide behind help, Luce. If you're serious about this, you need to go on the offensive. You've got the stamina, and the magic power. I'll teach you how. But I can't show you anything if you're still afraid to throw a punch."

She glares at him, because she recalls the last fight, and she threw plenty of them. But he's right. Her fists held hesitation. She was unbalanced, uncoordinated. He could read her every movement before she'd even thought of it. Not only was she afraid, but she hadn't the slightest idea how to actually fight someone. And she'd chosen a well renowned dragon slayer as her trainer, with not even an inkling of where to begin, knowing full well he wouldn't hold back on her.

In some way, his refusal to go easy on her made her happy. It reminded her of Natsu. But at the same time, it terrified her beyond measure. Her first time against Sting, she recalls it so well it haunts her. Just his magic power alone scared her to her knees in surrender.

It pains her to say it, but she hadn't pictured training to be this hard. Actually, she hadn't really believed Sting was this strong. Or maybe that she was just extremely weak. Either way, her high hopes of completing her mission quickly were shelved. She was going to spend quite a while with Sabertooth's guild master.

Lucky Lucy was running out of luck. A new appreciation for her guild mates and close range fighters across the world had been born in her heart. She'd never again look at Gray and Erza the same.

"Alright... I'm willing to learn if you'll teach me, Sting," Lucy lifts her head to look at the white dragon. He unfolds his arms and places them on his hips instead. "You going to attack me blindly again?"

"Hm... I might," Lucy chuckles. "But I bet after two months, I'll have mastered everything you're going to show me."

His eyes widen at the newfound determination in her eyes. "Are you placing a bet?"

"A wager every now and then keeps things lively. Besides, I have a goal, and a deadline. So, you going to help me or not?"

Sting mulls it over for a few moments while Lucy waits.

He knows what this girl wants. She's crazy for thinking she could even attempt at it. And he's tried to talk her out of it once, but she nearly tore his head off.

She won't learn everything in two months, he doesn't need to place a bet. There's far too much to grasp, and from where she's starting out, even Wendy would be a challenge for her. But he can't deny her determination. He can't deny her a chance at revenge.

"To have loved and lost...alright, Luce. Two months. In two months, if you master everything, I'll get you an astral secret art move. If you fail, you get to clean up after our new recruit training camp. In _that_," Sting points to the hanger on the door, and Lucy turns pale.

First things first, the new recruit training camp was a program designed by the elite members of Sabertooth. While they changed their dynamic to a more friendly guild, they didn't lose their harsh, military touch. A lot of mages around the world had heard of the twin dragon slayers, and would kill for an opportunity to be apart of their guild. Plus, Yukino being their main beauty only added to the appeal. Because of the high demand, all new recruits went through a trial. If they lasted through the week of hazing, they earned themselves a guild mark.

If not, they were sent packing.

Lucy did not want to be behind those recruits. The amount of blood, vomit, and sweat that those mages would leave for her to scrub and mop was unbearable. The amount of booze they would slosh along the floor was even worse. And the injuries she'd have to treat? Mangled arms and legs made her sick to her stomach.

Plus, the cherry on top was that horrid nurse's outfit hanging on the door to the infirmary. Not only was it a few seams too short to be considered a dress, it was bright red and made of a material so uncomfortable she'd rather have been naked.

If she made that an option, he might have accepted it.

Sting regretted the terms for a fraction of a second as he saw a plethora of emotions—all between horrified and disgusted—pass over Lucy's face.

"In _that_," Lucy spits.

"There's a lot of men in Sabertooth. And they seem to like you," he smiles devilishly, and all forms of regret are gone. While he did have an eye for Yukino, he wouldn't deny that Lucy herself was a beauty. And because Yukino nearly unleashed Pisces on him when he gestured she wear the outfit, he'd have to settle for this Heartfilia in need.

"...Deal," Lucy extends her hand, and Sting claps it tight with his own. "Training starts tomorrow, so rest up," he nods, and heads for the door. "Oh, and Luce?"

She looks at him, expecting him to say something smart.

Her eyebrows lift in surprise when he averts his gaze shyly and pushes his lips out in a pout. "Maybe you should wear more clothing for the next two months. You have a problem keeping them on."

"_EH?!" _Lucy's jaw crashes into her lap. She's too shocked to respond, and he's gone before she can retaliate.

In the past few times she's fought him, did she really lose her clothing? All of it?

Her eyes catch Rogue's cloak resting over the chair, and she turns a deep scarlet. Before she started training, she was going to go shopping.

* * *

><p><em>He's done this before,<em> Lucy's eyes follow Sting's hands. It's a diversion. If she's looking at his hands, she won't see him pivot his feet before he lunges for her. Her eyes quickly shift to his feet just before he leaves the ground, and she hurls herself to the left.

With a roar, she sends her blue-gray fire right at him, and ricochets off of the pillar she landed on. _He's fast, almost too fast, _She thinks as he appears just under her. He's got a smile on his face. He's enjoying this fight way too much.

"You're getting better at reading movements, Luce," he compliments. Lucy winces as the wind is knocked out of her. She crashes into the floor and lets out a garbled cry. How in the hell did Natsu fight these guys? She wobbles to her feet as the white dragon slayer lands across the room from her.

She knows he's fast. He's agile, and strong... but he's expected her movements the entire time. She hasn't changed anything about her attacks. The girl lifts her head to see the slightly damaged ceiling. "I told you not to look away from your opponent, Lucy," he's annoyed. Really, Sting is just an attention hog, and taking your eyes off of him is a sign of disrespect, so he gets upset.

But Lucy noticed him lunging for her. She smirks, and drops into a backbend against the floor, before thrusting herself forward and driving her fist upward, deep into his diaphragm. This move should have sent him flying, but she snags him by the back of his head and drives his face into her knee cap. She feels him tense, and hears his breath leave his body. Victory wriggles through her body as she body slams him to the ground and leaps back.

"She did it! She managed to hit him!" Lector cries. He struggles between cheering for Lucy and cheering for Sting. Of course he'd cheer for his best friend in a heart beat, but he knows Sting is here to help her, and the faster Lucy improves, the better off she'll be.

Sting pushes to his feet and wipes his nose, clearing off the blood and shaking it to the concrete. "Not bad. You didn't learn that from me."

"No... I learned that from him," Lucy gestures to Rogue. The dark haired dragon slayer flinches, and his eyes widen. He doesn't recall sparring with Lucy, or near her to have revealed a movement like that. He doesn't even remember _moving_ like that.

"I just mirrored your style of close range combat and infused it with Sting's movements."

Rogue looks between a surprised Sting and a confident Lucy. She's learning, and fast. Of course the twin dragon slayers fight well together. And Lucy is learning to take the best of both world's for herself. "Don't talk high and mighty yet, we're just getting started," Sting drops down into a fighting stance.

His eyes widen when Lucy crouches even lower into a feral like position. Her eyes grab his, and he follows her as she moves her shoulders from side to side. He sucks in air, but not fast enough as Lucy takes off. Rogue's eyes widen, and his jaw drops. He's never even seen Lucy move like this before, and he knows for sure that Sting hasn't taught her this, because he's still working on it himself.

Sting coughs, and turns his head to avoid one of Lucy's fists. She's fast. A lot faster than he anticipated. And the blood thirst radiating from her pores sends a chill down his spine that locks every bone in his body in place. It's suddenly cold. He feels her magic power building, and she expels it through her astral wing attack and hurdles him into the wall.

"Whoa... when did she get that good?" Lector asks, a little concerned for Sting now that he's seen Lucy's true potential. "I have no idea," Rogue murmurs.

Sting doubles over and clutches his chest, trying to suck in air as best he can. "What the hell did you do to him?" Rogue asks, and Lucy takes a step back, sweeping her bangs from her face and breathing in. "He'll be fine. I just momentarily distorted the space around him, so he can't breathe," she looks down at Sting, whose eyes are wide with horror.

"So you knocked the air out of him, and made it so he can't get any back? That's harsh," Rogue mutters, and he comes to a realization. "Wait, how did you know how to do that?"

"I've been studying the properties of an Astral Dragon in my free time. Since _astral_ is resembling the stars, and technically space, I can essentially leave the Earth's atmosphere and be unaffected. That also means I can distort the atmosphere of a certain radius on Earth, to an environment only I can withstand. I may not have as much explosive power as Sting, but I can change the setting of the battlefield," Lucy's lips crack into a slow smile as Sting finally gets his air back. He draws in an ugly, rugged breath and claws at the ground, hissing and coughing to desperately fill his lungs with air.

"She can do that...?" Lector asks, and Rogue slowly nods. "Sting didn't do much research on the dragon himself, so he wouldn't have known she was capable of it. But yes, the Astral Dragon can disrupt the atmosphere, as though one is in space. She's the only dragon slayer who can exist outside of Earth."

Sting slumps against the wall, looking up at the ceiling as if he's praying that he's extremely thankful for Earth and oxygen and everything else beneath the blue sky. "We're...we're done for today...fuck my lungs hurt," he whines, and the raspiness in his voice only confirms that any longer without air and he would have lost consciousness.

Lucy reaches forward and helps him to his feet.

"Rogue... Lucy didn't even use her spirits yet. And...her spirits don't need oxygen either, right?" Lector whispers, and Frosch's wide and round eyes look at Lucy's keys on her belt. "She's dangerous," Lector mutters. "Fro thinks so too," Frosch repeats, and moves closer to Rogue.

"Once she learns to use her spirits alongside her dragon slayer magic, she'll be one hell of a mage," Rogue mumbles, and looks up at the girl whose holding Sting upright as she's tucked herself underneath his arm. It's only been one month, and although it took Sting by surprise, she managed to knock him on his ass and nearly kill him.

In a real scenario, Sting would have been a goner. And for a couple of seconds, Rogue didn't think Lucy was going to stop short. The shadow dragon glances from Sting to down at Frosch and Lector, and considers what he would do if he lost his best friends. A ripple of anger passes through him and to his surprise, makes his fists clench tight and send a tremor down his spine.

He said he wanted nothing to do with this except for spectate and occasionally referee. But after seeing today's demonstration, Rogue has had a change of mind.

Suddenly, Rogue jumps to his feet and calls her name.

"Lucy, tomorrow... I'll train with you."

* * *

><p>Okay, that's a wrap for chapter 2! Read and review for me guys! I really appreciate the feed back, it lets me know what you guys do and don't like, mistakes, and other things. I credit everybody whose a huge help to me :)<p>

So, I really liked writing this chapter because I enjoy the relationship between Sting and Lucy. I think he would make a great older brother figure to her, because he's a goofball, but he's not dense and explosive. I picture Sting to actually think before he says and does, which is a trait Lucy possesses. Plus, they're both blonde's, so I can't help but think of them as siblings for some reason. Idk, leave me alone xD

I recently began drawing, since my 15 year old sister was like "you can draw" and after 19 years of saying I can't, I tried it, and I made a pretty good Gajeel and Levy, and even my own OC! :D I can't decide where I should post my art, but I intend to draw what I picture Lucy to look like in my story, so when I figure it out I'll let you guys know.

Anywhose, thank you for reading guys, and I hope you enjoy!


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